Wolves Fans' Parliament members were told of the lengthy consultation process ahead when they were given an exclusive first insight into the club's exciting stadium redevelopment plans at their final meeting of 2009-10.
John Hampton and John Roberts, from architects AFL, spent more than an hour outlining the spectacular proposed changes and answering questions from the floor.
But Chief Executive Jez Moxey and Parliament Chairman Matt Grayson were at pains to stress that the meetings with residents and the police yesterday were only the start of a long process.
"It's not a fait accompli," Jez said. "A lot of talking is still to be done and we haven't even made a planning application yet."
John Roberts said AFL had worked with 80 per cent of the Premier League clubs as well as some in the other divisions and revealed that the wishes of Owner-Chairman Steve Morgan to have fans closer to the
pitch, as well as watching in greater comfort, had been behind the plans.
"We looked at corner in-fills but that wouldn't have got the capacity to 37,000 or 38,000," he said. "So we will be working on the Stan Cullis, Steve Bull and Jack Harris Stands. The minimum capacity during
the redevelopment will be about 21,500 but it will be possible to eventually increase the capacity to 38,000 by bringing the stands closer to the pitch."
Members were told, for example, that the bottom of the Jack Harris Stand, which is currently 12 metres from the pitch, would be six and a half metres away following the rebuild. John Hampton said this was as
close as permitted under FIFA regulations and would give the best possible sight lines to the pitch. "We want to try to make Molineux really intimidating (to opposing teams) and have a positive effect on
our team," Jez said.
John Roberts said Steve Morgan wanted a brick façade as a sense of permanency, so the redeveloped stadium would not look the same as Derby and Stoke. He also revealed the Chairman liked symmetry. "He is strong on that," he added.
As well as making the stands steeper and the viewing better, John said there would be a step-free walkway almost from the subway to where the main club shop now is. The ticket office will be relocated to the existing site of the Club Shop, which in turn will move into the new Stan Cullis Stand towards the corner of the stadium that faces Asda. A museum offering tours will be nearby.
He also said the Steve Bull Stand would contain an executive lounge to cater for 600 people as a conference and banqueting venue that would not have a pitch view. Away fans would be housed on two levels in a new filled-in corner section between the Stan Cullis and Steve Bull Stands - varying from 1,500 to 3,000 for League matches to 6,000 for some cup games.
A full disabled section would be situated in the Jack Harris Stand, with locations also in the other three stands, complete with 'super risers' - built-in areas that meant users would still be able to see
the pitch if fans stood in front of them. As well as a new Accessible Lounge in the new Stan Cullis Stand.
Jez described the repositioning of away fans as a move that would facilitate their exit after matches, telling Chris Cox they would be largely in a quadrant that doesn't exist at the moment. And he
answered a question from Muriel Bates by saying the plan was for the University to have vacated the Steve Bull Stand by the time it came to be redeveloped - hopefully two years from now, with work on the Stan Cullis Stand due to be commenced at the end of next season and that on the Jack Harris Stand being done last.
"The stadium will be very iconic but traditional and respectful of the club's heritage," he promised. "It's going to feel very much like our stadium. You won't be able to miss seeing Molineux." John Hampton said
the ground would blend in with how it was rebuilt in the early 1990 and would have the impact of the City of Manchester Stadium.
Jez said to Roger Fellows: "We are doing it in a phased way without including the Billy Wright Stand for now. Steve (Morgan) says he hopes we can justify a bigger capacity further down the line but this is a
big enough challenge anyway. And he told Ryan Leister that the Stan Cullis Stand would take a year to build and the Steve Bull Stand two years. "Hopefully, the Jack Harris Stand would follow immediately but
that's an outline and things will be based partly on how the team are doing and on the state of the economy," he added.
To a question from Terry Brearley, John Hampton pointed out that the Hall of Fame would be in the museum and of a similar size to those at Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea. Jez replied to John Meaney by saying he didn't want the club to get hung up on the possibility of a sponsor's name preceding the name Molineux because that idea, as with the Emirates and Britannia Stadiums (the home of Arsenal and Stoke
respectively) were more appropriate for stadiums built at new locations.
In response to a question by Gerry Collins, the two architects said the pitch was being rebuilt now to suit the redevelopment complete with new irrigation.
The mood of the members, when shown pictures of how the stadium should eventually look, was one of keen anticipation but Mark Cadman asked how it was being financed because the club were crippled by the building of the John Ireland Stand three decades ago. "Spend too much on the stadium and there's nothing left to put players on the pitch with," he warned. Jez said: "We have to run the club sensibly. We need to raise more money. If we're going to be really serious, we have to grow. We have a wealthy owner who has invested a lot. The need is there to be profitable but we believe we can make it work. Through existing club funds, profitable trading, some long-term borrowing, we believe we can do all this as a staged development. We're seventh in the Premier League in utilisation of capacity at nearly 97 per cent and that includes the seats we know we can't sell because of segregation. But we have to grow further."
Chris Cox praised the club for attempting to increase the ground capacity and Jez said: "It has to rise. There's a bit of 'build the stadium and they will come' thinking even if we don't sell out at
every game." And Matt Grayson said: "Hopefully, fans will think we're increasing comfort as well as capacity." Members were told many fans would have an extra two and a half inches of knee space.
Alan Gripton asked whether a swipe-card system could be introduced at the turnstiles and was told by Jez that the idea was under serious consideration. Kulbinder Kular acknowledged that such a scheme could
be piloted in the Stan Cullis Stand after its rebuild. And Martyn Edwards was assured the family enclosure was staying where it was, in the Billy Wright Stand.
Laurence Westwood asked whether the design would include plenty of gold and black and was promised by Jez that it would. "The cantilevers could be gold, but it will certainly feel like the home of Wolverhampton Wanderers," he said.
Tony Shilcock was told that the question of rehousing fans during redevelopment would be on top of the club's agenda. "We need to look at the options but there's going to have to be understanding by fans,"
Jez said. Matt Grayson said there would be no announcements on that front until early in the New Year.
Chris Cox warned the club ahead of the many consultation meetings: "Don't underestimate how emotive this subject could be to people in the Stan Cullis Stand. People think of their seat as being their
property. Treat them with kid gloves. Have a separate workshop to make it as smooth as possible. Twenty
years ago, it was easy because the North Bank had been derelict then."
Jez pointed out, though, that redevelopment had been carried out at many grounds all over the country and Richard Harries said: "As a North Banker, I'm delighted that I'll be the first to sit in a
redeveloped stand."
Anne Pearce asked what would happen to the Paycare Lounge for the disabled and was told by Jez that plans for it during the reconstruction had not been finalised. "You will be happy with the
plans we have for it in the long term but we will be squeezed in all ways when the work is being done. There will be a lack of parking, a temporary ticket office and so on. We trust the fans know this is all
being planned for the club - their club - to improve things for our fans."
In answer to a question by Sally Hanbury, who wonders how she will be accommodated as she has a
child who will soon have to move out of the family enclosure, Matt said: "There will be inconvenience but we hope fans appreciate the ultimate aim is worth the disruption, which we will keep to a minimum.
We will also be introducing a family information centre into the Stan Cullis Stand."
Mark Cadman asked if supporters forced to move from the Stan Cullis Stand during reconstruction would have to pay more. "One of the reasons people sit behind the goal is because it's cheaper," he said.
Jez replied: "I think the answer is that they will have to pay more. We are planning all this to improve the atmosphere. But we are taking a risk because in the past crowds haven't always got to 28,000."
James Rogers asked what would happen if the economic climate was very difficult and was told by Jez: "We have to take that challenge on sensibly and assess where we are from a playing point of view. If we
start it, we will certainly finish it but, if we don't have the confidence or funds to proceed, we will postpone it for a year." John Roberts said there was no better time to build than in a recession and Jez added: "We wouldn't be here if we weren't very serious about doing it all."
John Meaney said he could visualise the council being uneasy about the stands being steeper - and also at how local residents would be affected. Jez said this was the reason so many consultation meetings
were necessary but Matt also pointed out the 'up' side of the project; namely that a considerable number of jobs will be created by the construction work and that extra business will come from the bigger
crowds. One thousand local residents had been told of the plans and been invited to comment on them to the club, with a meeting called for last night to discuss any reservations.
Dave Bissell enquired whether there would be any problems with the air flow to the pitch (as a means of drying it) with the stadium becoming more enclosed. Jez acknowledged: "Generally, the higher the stands,
the less quality grass you will have but we are putting a state-of-the-art pitch in which is as good as it gets and there will still be plenty of wind coming in. It's not as though ALL the corners are being filled in."
Rod Palmer, already concerned by car parking problems round the ground, asked: "Where on earth are the extra 10,000 spaces going to come from?" Jez said: "We hope more people will use public transport.
They won't all come by car."
Darren Cox asked if Steve Morgan, given the business he was in, would have the final say on which suppliers will be used? Jez replied: "Yes and no. The principle project is on a design and build basis, with
contractors choosing which sub-contractors they want. But Steve can probably buy bricks cheaper than anyone else in the country!"
Jez sidestepped for now a question from Wilf Hadley about how much the proposed changes would cost but told him: "It's going to be fabulous. It has been discussed for a long time and it is keeping us very
Motivated, and busy." He then told James Fielden that the new Stan Cullis Stand would contain a sports bar and a fine dining facility.
John Hampton and John Roberts were applauded from the room as they left half-way through the meeting.
FOOTBALL ISSUES
Jez Moxey kicked off this section of the session by saying the fans' backing during Wolves' first season back in the Premier League had been 'really fabulous', with widespread recognition evident among the
Molineux masses of the fact the club were underdogs and were inevitably going to lose some games. "The season was a remarkable achievement by everyone but the plan is to try to improve the team
further and move some players on," he said. "We have a number of bids in but we have to continue to box clever. Ideally, it would be better if all our signings were in for the start of pre-season." John Meaney
enquired whether the stadium would be used as a selling point to potential signings and was told by Jez that the club used every available magnet.
Gerry Collins asked if Wolves had to be mindful who they were targeting, given the new regulations about having to have a certain number of home-grown players in their squad. Jez said it wasn't an
issue with the current squad as they comfortably met the new criteria. "I was amazed that the vote went through unanimously, though, because some clubs don't meet it," he pointed out. And to a question from Ryan Leister about whether Michael Mancienne might return for a third lengthy spell on loan, Jez added: "Look at Chelsea's squad (with regard to the regulations) and ask: Will they let him come out?"
Kulbinder Kular was told by Jez that the club hoped Michael Kightly would be fit for pre-season. Chief Exec also told Chris Cox that Matt Murray had a year left on his contract and was hoping to be fit early in the 2010-11 campaign.
James Fielden asked about the possible commercial benefits of pre-season tours to places like Asia, as being undertaken again by some clubs this summer. Jez said there hasn't been a commercial hook
this time like there was with the offer to go to Australia last year, so the club were happier to prepare much closer to home.
Mark Cadman enquired as to whether there was going to be a look at the issue of away season ticket holders and Head of Ticketing and Membership Lynne O'Reardon said the club were mindful of the danger of fans buying them just so they could obtain tickets for attractive games against the top clubs or for trips to Albion and Blackpool. "The take-up by existing AST holders has been very good," she said. "It's
£35 extra for a new customer but we are watching how they are used. I'm already in a mild panic about our game at Blackpool next season because a lot of people are likely to want to go."
Gerry Collins, who is recovering from a hip operation, said he would love to have gone to more away games last season but was put off by the fact he couldn't stand if fans in front of him got to their feet.
"Is there a facility where I can request a seat near the front?" he asked. Lynne replied: "That's a very difficult one to promise as a lot of fans might want the same thing. It also depends on how home clubs
choose to sell. Sometimes they want us to sell the ones at the front last."
Dave Bissell asked the club to consider providing free Wifi on match-days as phone signals could be poor in big crowds. He was told by Matt Grayson that the request would be considered.
Kulbinder Kular said he wished to say a big thank-you to the club on behalf of the fans for the highly pleasing season.
FUTURE OF PARLIAMENT
Matt Grayson asked members how often they felt the Fans' Parliament should meet. He said there had been a disappointing response to the well-publicised search for new delegates for next season. With the
sharp increase in numbers on the four-year-old Parliament in 2008, meetings had tended to become bi-monthly rather than quarterly, as was previously the case. One view was that quarterly sessions in future
would be fine, with the proviso that ad hoc meetings could be arranged when the need arose.
Lynne O'Reardon suggested it would be a good idea to contact supporter clubs to ensure that they were given the chance to remain well represented on the Parliament.
Roger Fellows, who is one of the members now forced to stand down after serving for four years, said there was no need to have as many on board as there now were. "Twenty is enough," he argued, pointing
out that more publicity was needed to remind fans how they could contact members in order to bring important points to the table. He said how much he had enjoyed his time on the Parliament and thought it
had been extremely worthwhile and very well supported by the club.
Jez Moxey thanked all Parliament members for all their input and enthusiasm. "When we started it four years ago, we were determined it wasn't just going to be a talking shop," he said. "I hope you feel you
have shaped a few of the things that we as a club have done. I think it has been really good. We've gone into a lot of detail but much remains to be done." Matt Grayson said the club hoped the 'really good
relationships' would continue with the people who were now leaving.
Continuing the mood of appreciation, Gerry Collins said the Everyman night staged recently by the club had been brilliant, with the players mixing superbly with guests. Matt pointed out that the evening had
also raised a big sum for charity. Jez said he had never been involved with a group of people who were so dedicated. "We have a special club and we're at a special stage of our evolution," he said.
Anne Pearce said fans from other clubs repeatedly remarked on how good Wolves' Paycare Lounge is. "They can't get over the facilities," she said.
Matt pointed out that the club had just launched a new website called www.corporatewolves.co.uk and now had close to 10,000 followers on Facebook as well as utilising Twitter.
Wolves Community Trust, the Club's official charity has also launched its own dedicated website: www.wolvescommunitytrust.org.uk
NEW KIT
During the two-course meal that preceded the meeting, Wolves' Head of Retail Peter Pridmore outlined why the club had switched to Qatar-based BURRDA as kit suppliers.
With next season's main strip and the all black change design on show, he spoke of the decision by Le Coq Sportif - Wolves' supplier over the last six years - to withdraw from football. And he said how special
BURRDA had made the club feel as their first Premier League 'signing.'
The Swiss-owned company have struck deals with at least two Championship clubs and have an impressive CV in sport, he added.
